Masters of the Book, Are you enjoying Season 2 of ASTRA: Knights of Veda? We would like to express once again our sincerest gratitude for all our Masters of the Book who joined us at our various events and shared their gameplay experience. In the previous Developer Interview, we shared stories from some members of our Development Team for the first time. Through their stories, we were able to let you get a sneak peak into the setting design team and character concept art team’s work processes, letting our Masters of the Book have a look at how the fascinating characters and world of ASTRA: Knights of Veda are created. Thank you very much for reading their stories! We’ll be sharing more of our developers' stories so that you’ll feel closer to the team. In the 11/28 update, the new Knight of Veda “Aslan” and one of the major contents of Season 2, Celestial Trials, has been introduced. Celestial Trials, is a new end-game PvE content that is the continuation of the previous Tower of Trials content, offering a fun challenge to Masters of the Book. In this interview, we will be joined by S from the Content Design Team, who planned this exciting content, to talk about how the Celestial Trials was designed, and the challenges faced during the design process and other interesting stories. Q. Hello, Please introduce yourself. S : That’s correct, we do keep these story beats in mind when thinking of Knights to include in the game. The various Knights of Veda all have different tasks and objectives while the Master of the Book was adventuring to Gigantfall in Season 1. However, as the Master of the Book continues to grow in power and fame, their fates eventually become entangled as their objectives intersect with those of the Master of the Book. Q. What was the most important aspect your team was considering when planning “Celestial Trials”? S : To put it simply, it would be “strategic combat”. In Celestial Trials, each floor has its own unique and special rules, which means players will face new challenges every time they ascend the tower. For example, on some floors, the abilities of certain Knights of Veda may be either enhanced or restricted, and on others, enemies with special abilities may appear. We considered many aspects to ensure that players can experience a sense of achievement and fun strategizing around the limits and enhancements attached to each floor. We are also striving to provide fair rewards for everyone and for each floor cleared. As Celestial Trials was not designed to be competitive content, but rather a challenge-based content for each Master of the Book, we hope that everyone can enjoy the content at their own pace. Q. As Celestial Trials is replacing Tower of Trials, we’re curious if there were any elements intended to differentiate them from each other. S : Tower of Trials was initially designed with the same goals as what we set out to achieve with Celestial Trials, to offer the enjoyment of challenge and achievement. However, as more new content gets added to the game, the content has become more of a busy work you need to do every reset, a repetitive task To address this issue, Celestial Trials was designed to offer an experience that is not simply repetitive gameplay, but one where players must face and overcome each floor by strategizing and utilizing their Knights to their fullest potential We hope that players will create new strategies for each floor, immersing themselves and enjoying the experience even more. Q. Celestial Trials feature an infinite number of floors. Were there any considerations to prevent players from feeling bored as they continue to challenge these endless floors? S : To follow up on my previous answer, we made efforts to incorporate as many different strategies and approaches to a floor as possible. We carefully thought about and aimed to increase the overall strategic depth by thinking about how to effectively use the skills and combinations of each Knight of Veda in various combat situations. We also made sure that we are not only giving the commonly used Knights, but also those with lower usage, new roles and strategic uses. Additionally, I believe that when players successfully clear a difficult challenge, they should be rewarded accordingly. For example, Masters of the Book who clear a specific floor for the first time will be recorded as the "First Conqueror" of that floor, and all users will receive rewards linked to this achievement. We’ve also prepared new and special items as part of the rewards, so I hope players will enjoy them. Q. This question is unrelated to Celestial Trials. ASTRA: Knights of Veda features a variety of PvE and PvP content. What content did you personally enjoy playing the most? S : Recently, I’ve been enjoying Beast Battlefront. When it was first added, I only got to play it for a week, and I remember feeling quite disappointed. However, now that the event duration has been extended and there are more types of buffs and debuffs, I find it increasingly fun. Personally, I think the biggest appeal of Beast Battlefront is that the strategies you use can change depending on the bosses, buffs, and debuffs that appear. Although it’s not PvP, the fact that you can compete with other players adds to the excitement. The competitive aspect definitely makes the experience more immersive and challenging. This makes it so that if I’m asked to name a favorite content, Beast Battlefront will definitely be one of the top choices for me. Q. Finally, after the Season 2 update, many new contents will be added and revamped. Could you give us any hints about the major upcoming content? S : We are developing content designed to stimulate players’ sense of challenge and make the game even more enjoyable. For example, we are working on a very difficult dungeon where players can team up and use various strategies or party play to tackle it, as well as content where players can challenge gigantic, powerful bosses and compete with other players. I hope players continue to show interest not only in the existing content but also in the upcoming updates. Where do you usually check for information and updates about ASTRA: Knights of Veda Since the opening of the Official Discord Server, various information can be found there, but the place to go where you can find all information about the game has always been the official website. Did you know that we have revamped the Official Website with the Season 2 update? It now offers a more intuitive interface and richer information. To learn more about the updated website, we’ll be talking with UI Design Team’s Deputy Team Leader, “Ribbit” Q. Hello, Please introduce yourself. Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : Hello, Masters of the Book, it’s nice to finally be able to meet all of you. I’m Ribbit, the Deputy Team Leader for the UI Design Team, responsible for game UI and marketing design. Q. You have participated in the design of the Official Website from its early stages. We think it captures the game’s Dark Fantasy vibe through the dark-toned background and vibrant illustrations. What was the most important element considered during the initial planning phase of the website’s design to visually convey this vibe? Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : When we were planning the Official Website for ASTRA: Knights of Veda, the main concern was, “What do the players, the Masters of the Book, want to see on the Official Website?” I wanted to ensure that all of the information from the game could be viewed in one place while also allowing the players to be immersed in the game’s world and setting. From a design perspective, the artwork we use in ASTRA: Knights of Veda is of a very high quality with very detailed textures. I felt it was a shame to only be able to view the artwork on such a small canvas, so I wanted to showcase the art by making use of larger image sizes. However, this same detail and density in the artwork also makes it so that we use simple shapes like points, lines, and surfaces for the website’s other design elements to maintain a sense of balance. Overly simplified designs will look unfinished however if they are used right beside the highly-detailed art so we focused on finding the right balance between them. Q. With the Season 2 Update, the website was also overhauled. What was the main goal of this overhaul? Are there any parts that you would like our Masters of the Book to pay special attention to? Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : Season 2 was the first big update we did since the launch of ASTRA: Knights of Veda, and a lot of new stuff was introduced, from a new story and new characters to additional Relics and a variety of new Monsters. In line with this, we updated and overhauled the website and added this information to the guides available on the website. By doing this, we hope to help experienced Masters of the Book immerse themselves more in the world of ASTRA: Knights of Veda. For example, some Knights of Veda, formerly listed under [Etc.] are now categorized under their respective factions to clarify their relationships with other Knights of Veda and their factions. Additionally, [Noah’s Map] was updated with the new Adventure Zones alongside the new ones. I hope that with this, players can conveniently view the information they missed in the game, presented in detail and in a visual form. Q. Do you personally play ASTRA: Knights of Veda? If so, were there any aspects of your gameplay experience that helped with designing the website? Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : Yes! I play the game quite a lot. In fact, while designing the character introduction pages, the information I learned about each character’s elements, exclusive weapons, skills, and so on turned out to be quite helpful when playing the game. Q. Apart from the new features and design elements added during the overhaul coinciding with Season 2’s release, are there any functions you would like added or areas you wish you’d improve in the future? Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : I’m not sure if our Masters of the Book remember, but in the teaser site revealed during the FGT, we had animated character motion art for the 5★ Knights. After the launch of the game, and the subsequent redesign of the Official Website, we had to remove those animated character art for various reasons, and only the static illustration is displayed. I do feel a bit of regret about that and wish that we’ll be able to display ASTRA’s beautiful art in animated form. Additionally, if possible, I’m considering if it’s possible to improve the official website, such as introducing a daily-updated ranking table showcasing users' combat and attack power. Q. Finally, as its designer, do you wish to share a message with the Master of the Books visiting the game’s official website? Deputy Team Leader Ribbit : First of all, I and the team would like to thank you for the love and support you give ASTRA: Knights of Veda and to our work on the official website. I hope that the website becomes a place where everyone who loves the game and its world can discover more about the game and the people who inhabit it. We would be grateful if you continue your support for ASTRA: Knights of Veda into the future. Thank you very much! In today’s interviews, we had the opportunity to hear the behind-the-scenes stories of ASTRA: Knight of Veda’s development team, from both the game designer of the “Celestial Trials” game mode and the designer of the game’s Official Website. In it we learned how the game has continuously evolved and has been shaped by you, our Masters of the Book. Celestial Trials offers players new challenges and a deeper, more strategic combat experience that is also constantly being refined. While, thanks to the efforts of our designer, the Season 2 Website overhaul introduces a more intuitive and engaging design, making it easier for Masters of the Book to access game information and lore. We sincerely thank all Masters of the Book for their love and support for ASTRA: Knights of Veda. Your valuable feedback and continuous interest are a great source of strength to all in the development team. We look forward to bringing more exciting and enjoyable content to meet your expectations. Thank you.
